Refrigerator latch



June 11, 1940. w, DART 2,204,053

4 REFRIGERATOR LATCH Original Filed March 8, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 9 6 3 5 EIG..9. I

8 l0 INVENTOR. E802. Mum/1 flAET.

ATTORNEYS.

wwwg w. F. DART REFRIGERATOR LATCH June 11, 1940.

Original Filed March a, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 .FIGJ.

' INVENTOR. MAL/AM F 04/537.

BY 7 *M;

ATTORNEYS.

Patented June 11, 194i PATENT OFFICE I nzmrcaan'ron- Ln'ron William I. Dari, Mason, Mich.

' Original application March 8, 1934, Serial No.

Divided and this application 1c, 1935, Serial No. 45.308

2 Claims. (01. 292-) This application is a division of my co-pending application, Serial No. 714,717 filed Mar. 8,1934, now Letters Patent No; 2,051,132, dated August 18, 1936.- v

I. This invention relates to a closure for refrig erators and like containers of the above stated character which will permit the refrigerator to be fully opened when desiring to remove or replace articles from the food compartment, and

1G which will permit exposure of the ice cube chamber when desiring to obtain ice, so that atmos pheric temperatures will not readily enter the food compartment and unnecessarily raise the temperature therein, consequently permitting the refrigerator to be more economically operated and the temperature within the refrigerator more evenly maintained, assuring a better preserving of food products over a longer period of time. 7 The primary object of the invention-is the 20 provision of inner and outer doors mounted for simultaneous opening and closing of the refrigerator, and capable of being operated so that the inner door may remain closed for the closing of the food compartment during the opening of SI the outer door, while at'the same time giving admittance to the ice cube chamber.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary perspective view 11- lustrating a refrigerator equipped with a door 80 construction constructed in accordance withmy invention. i Fig. 2 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional view showing the inner and outer doors latched together and occupying door-closing. position.

86 Fig. 3 is a similar view showing the inner and outer doors moved simultaneously to an open po sition for exposing the interior -of the refrigerator.

Pig. is a similar view showing the outer door.

40 occupying an open position while the inner door occupies a closed position and exposing the rack of the inner door so that articles may be readily placed in and removedtherefrom.

- Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view showing 45 the means of latching the inner and outer doors together and also a spring catch for aiding in maintaining the inner door in a closed position when the outerdoor is released therefrom and swung to an open position.

50 Fig. 6 is a detail sectional-view taken on the line 68-of Fig. 5.

Fig. '1 is a disrupted view showing one of the I hinges.

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary view showing the latch 55 for seeming the outer door in closed position and the finger piece of the latch employed for securing the inner and outer doors together.

and is of the type to freeze ice cubes or blocks, the remaining interior of the refrigerator being employed for the storage of food products and 10 the like. Heretofore when obtaining ice from the freezing orcooling unit, it was nebessary to I expose the entire interior of the refrigerator to atmospheric temperatures, causing an unnecessary raising'of the temperature of the -refrigerator and increasing the cost of operation and maintenance, and to overcome these disadvantages my invention is employed and is in the form of a closure hingedly. mounted to the refrigerator and includes inner an outer doors 2' and 3, both supported to the refrigerator I. by hingesl, capable of permitting the doors to swing simultaneously or one independent of the other. The inner door 2' is shaped so-that when in closed position, it will expose a freezing or c'oolg5 ing unit lwhile the foodcompartment is closed to the atmosphere. The-outer door 3 is of the .chambered or flanged construction forming upon the interior face thereof a chamber or space 5 .to receive a rack 6, supported by the outer face a0 7 of the inner door when said doors engage with each other, or when latched together, which will be hereinafter more fully described. The. rack '6 may be employed for various articles not need ing very low temperatures for their preservation, and when the outer door 3 is opened independently of the inner door, the rack 6 becomes fully exposed so that articles may be readily placed in and removed therefrom. A spring catch 1 is carried by the refrigerator 40 to engage withthe inner door for aiding in retaining the latter in a closed position when the outer door is swung open. The catch 1 is of a conventional type, that is employing a spring pressed; ball engageable with a notch or socket formed in the inner door.

when desiring to free the outer door for movement into an open position.

A keeper II is carried by the outer face of the inner door and enters the chamber 5 when the inner and outer doors are in'abutting engagement and is engaged by a latch I! carried by the outerdoor where said doors will be fastened together. The latch consists of a member l3 journaled in a bracket 14 carried by the outer door and has formed upon its inner end an angularly disposed projection or arm l5-to engage with the keeper ll.

Slidably mounted in the outer wall of the outer door is a tubular finger-piece I 6, whichslidably receives the member l3 and the latter is provided with spiral grooves l1, engaged by a lug l8 formed on the finger piece l6, whereby endwise movement of the finger piece will impart rotation to the member l3. A coil spring I9 is interposed between the bracket I4 and the inner end of the finger piece [6 for normally urging the latter in' one direction or in a direction to cause rotation of the member I 3 for positioning the arm I5 in engagement with the keeper l I. A manual movement of the finger piece in an opposite direction causes reverse rotation of the member 13 to disengage the arm l5 from the keeper H.

It is preferable that the finger piece l6 be located in close proximity to the handle IU of the latch 8 so that a person operating the handle I!) to free the outer door. may also operate the latch l2 to free said. outer door from the inner door,

.To accomplish the foregoing action, the operator presses the finger piece "5 and unlatches the outer door which may then be swung open to its extreme position as illustrated in Fig. 5, while the inner door may be swung to an independently open position as also illustrated in Fig. 5.

Having thus described my invention, what I ing a latch for the outer of the doors having a pivoted actuating handle, a pull "connection having interlocked and released positions extending through'said outer door connecting with a keeper on an inner "door, a finger piece for said pull connection tothe inner door positioned adjacent said actuating handle so that the same may be operated when the handle is manually grasped, all with one hand, and a double acting fastener for said inner door for releasing said inner door when said pull connection is in interlocked position.

2. Latching means for a pair of doorscomprising a latch for the outer of the doors having a pivoted actuating handle, a pull connection having interlocked and released positions extending through said outer door connecting with a keeper on an inner door, a finger piece for said pull connection to the inner-door positioned adjacent said actuating handle so that the same may be operated when the handle is manually grasped, all with one hand, and a double acting fastener for said inner door for releasing said inner door when said pull connection is in interlocked position, said pull connection comprising in combination with said keeper on said inner door, a tubular extension provided with a. spiral groove, a lug formed on said.- finger piece and engaging within said spiral groove, a. bracket carried by said outer door within which said tubular extension is rotatively journaled, and resilient means extending from said bracket and urging said finger piece outwardly so as to maintain said finger piece in non-interlocking position.

WILLIAM F. DART. 

